Al Dente – With Bitey McBighterson: Taking the Piss

| August 20, 2016

“Long heralded and now about to become reality, let this stand as official announcement of a new and semi-irregular LFM feature – Al Dente – With Bitey McBighterson! Beginning Saturday, 30 March 2013 and appearing whenever he gives a shit, Bitey will give you his unbridled, well gnawed interpretation of current events. After all, what […]

Full Yellow Jacket

| July 26, 2016

As you all know, I don’t mete out death lightly. That being said, there are some affronts that cannot be ignored and being the recipient of an unprovoked attack by a Wasp is one of them. I would also point out that had I come to know the offender was a transient whose home was […]

The Song of the Hand Dug Well

| July 21, 2016

Mrs. LFM, Bairns, Dogs and I live in an antique farm house the original construction of which predates electricity and indoor plumbing. The wise and hard working crew who threw their blood, sweat, and tears into its building and sustenance dug a well 20 feet deep on the hill overlooking the house, and by their […]

Scythe and Sword Revisited

| July 17, 2016

  The title of this piece carries forward from one I wrote back in April of 2014, and is motivated by fallout from my joyous efforts in restoring a very nice old scythe to service. It joined the LFM stable of steel about a month ago courtesy of the Esteemed Peter Thompson. Wooden snathed (the […]

Eschew the Feckless

| June 25, 2016

Just yesterday, my friend the Esteemed Cowboy John laid down this challenge: I used a word today that I simply love, and honestly don’t use enough. I don’t think it is used enough period. It is “feckless”. So I challenge my friends to USE this word today. Either in text or spoken. It is actually […]

The Minister’s Lawn and the Lilac Tree

| May 29, 2016

I grew up in the small but (then) prosperous town of  Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, in a house across the street from what was generally referred to as “the Minister’s lawn”. A part of the grounds of the Anglican Reverend’s residence, it was a beautifully manicured expanse of table top flatness, and came to be used […]

Bullies and Their Vital Role in Education

| May 21, 2016

Everyone now living is the product of tough, and as necessary rough, people, whether your 21st century sensibilities like it or not. Those of my own memory and upbringing were the kind of stoic, hard working, hard swearing, hard drinking, won’t take shit from anybody kind of folks who abounded in those days. It may […]

Worldly Wisdom Wednesday – If You Can’t Do It Slow, You Can’t Do It Fast

| April 20, 2016

“A man cannot understand the perfection and imperfections of his chosen art if he cannot see the value in other arts. Following rules only permits development up to a point in technique; to advance further the student and artist must learn and seek other knowledge. It makes sense to study other arts as well as […]

Such a Terrible Job I Have

| April 15, 2016

Plying my trade(s) in rural Nova Scotia exposes me to all manner of ordeals and sights you just can’t unsee. Oh, the panic that can’t be unpanicked! Case in point, the photos that follow taken last week on departure from a client’s premises. I’d say they are located in a typical area of woods and […]

Worldly Wisdom Wednesday – The Word of the Day is “Deliberate”

| April 13, 2016

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the adjective use of the word “deliberate” as: 1 Done consciously and intentionally: ‘a deliberate attempt to provoke conflict’ 2 Careful and unhurried: ‘a conscientious and deliberate worker’ 2.1 Fully considered; not impulsive: ‘a deliberate decision’ In common usage today, the word is most often associated with actions that are […]